Former West Bengal of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was on Wednesday discharged from a hospital in Kolkata, where he was admitted on July 29 with lower respiratory tract infection and Type 2 respiratory failure.
The 79-year-old veteran communist leader will be provided medical care at his Palm Avenue residence. Family members of the former Chief Minister, including his wife Meera, and leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) were present in the hospital when he was discharged
“His medical condition is fine. However, he will be on BIPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) and other necessary oxygen support at home. Our team of doctors will keep on monitoring his condition for some time,” one of doctors treating Mr. Bhattacharjee told journalists.
A day after he was admitted, on July 30, Mr. Bhattacharjee was placed on invasive ventilation. His health improved over next few days. A medical board comprising 11 doctors at the Woodlands Multispecialty Hospital was monitoring his health parameters. The hospital also issued regular updates on the ailing leader.
Leaders across political lines, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari called upon Mr. Bhattacharjee and wished for his speedy recovery.
Mr. Bhattacharjee was Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000-2011. He has been unwell for the past few years. A member of CPI(M) Polit Bureau, he stepped down from the party’s highest decision-making body, and central committee in 2015.
Along with failing eyesight, Mr. Bhattacharjee is suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and has been away from public life for some time. In September 2019, he was admitted to the hospital with breathing problems and his health improved after medical intervention.
